Goodbye to Enrico Benzing

There was a gray cupboard in the Motori della Gazzetta editorial office, where he carefully stored a sophisticated car tachometer, which he calibrated at least two or three times a year and used when testing new car models. In the sense that, with circus contortions, he disappeared under the dashboard, removed the original tachometer and inserted his own, which was much more precise and made his tests more rigorous. He was feared by car manufacturers because he always found some – documented – defect in the cars. And he was greatly feared by Enzo Ferrari, whom he teased about technical issues, deliberately incorrect statements in press kits, engine or aerodynamic choices. Ferrari never raised his voice with him, the discussions were calm, mutual respect prevented them from slipping into heated arguments. It is no coincidence that when the Dino Ferrari Journalism Award was established, Benzing was the first to receive it. Enrico Benzing has now left us, at the age of 94, in his home in Milan, a stone’s throw from the Polytechnic where he graduated in mechanical engineering under the protective wing of engineer Speluzzi, the man who introduced a wind tunnel for automotive purposes into the prestigious university. It was Enrico Benzing, together with Giovanni Canestrini (who changed newspaper immediately afterwards), who created the front page of Motori on a newspaper, the Gazzetta dello Sport. It was the 1950s. Thanks to him, famous names such as Enzo Ferrari, Colin Chapman, John Cooper, Tony Rudd collaborated on that page. Then he was also the first to want and direct a real motoring editorial team, which he chose and formed in the early ’70s. Having left the sports newspaper, he became a correspondent for Autosprint and, for a very long time, for the Giornale directed by Indro Montanelli, which he embellished with acute and often allergic technical comments to those who were involved. Then he collaborated with numerous other publications, including Formula Passion. Parallel to his journalistic profession, Benzing dabbled in in-depth aerodynamic studies, shared secretly with the engineer Forghieri, with Michel Tetu of Renault, with Gerard Ducarouge, with the engineer Carlo Chiti and others, contributing to the creation of wings and ailerons finished on Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Brabham, Ligier, Bellasi. It is therefore no coincidence that the FIA ​​wanted him as technical commissioner for a certain period, until his resignation because he did not consider certain procedures rigorous enough. Among curiosities, he designed what was probably the first titanium frame of a racing bike tested, he said, by a young Francesco Moser. Always very harsh and pure, this is his signature, without giving up a desecrating streak made up of jokes, jokes, nicknames, gags, Benzing was a supreme master for those who were lucky enough to be close to him. Maniac for details, severe in finding technical errors between the lines, accurate in titrations, merciless towards those who skilfully masked a fundamental lack of preparation with “colour”.
In the racing world he was very popular and respected. From Ascari to Surtees (so many discussions on the phone or in the garage!), to Bandini, Baghetti, Clark, Siffert, Pedro Rodriguez, Scarfiotti, Amon, then again Regazzoni, the Brambillas, Lauda, ​​all champions who trusted him and relied on his considerations on the behavior of the cars they drove. The phone rang in the editorial office and it was one of them who wanted to confide in him, ask for an opinion, entrust him with a scoop. He said little about what he learned, but then – little by little – those phone calls transformed into widespread culture which became the reliability and credibility of the newspaper. He was proud that his son Gian Marco, an expert in music, had become a prestigious writer for Corriere della Sera, where he still works. He himself loved music and listened with joy – among others – to a rare recording that had united Pablo Casals with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Bening was a person with multiple interests and curiosities, attentive to the weaknesses of those close to him, available to help, support and lift up. Ironic and biting, analytical and always ready to expose himself, to show his face as rarely happens today. Delicate and careful not to hurt: rare qualities, which remain but are already missing.